Open top display case with slidable hood



J. R. PICHLER OPEN TOP DISPLAY CASE WITH SLIDABLE HOOD Feb. 23, 1954 Filed Feb. 23, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Joseph R. Pichler BY ATTORNEY5 WW '5, Ja

Feb. 23, 1954 J. R. PICHLER OPEN TOP DISPLAY CASE WITH SLIDABLE HOOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 23, 1952 INVENTOR. Joseph R. Pichler BY ATTORNEY5 Patented Feb. 23, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OPEN TOP DISPLAY CASE WITH SLIDABLE HOOD Joseph R. Pichler,;l),ayton, l Qhiq,-assignor to General {Motors Corporation,

noration .ofnelaware Dayton, Ohio, a cor- Applioation February 23, 1952;:Serial No. 272,997

(Cl. 62 v-8 ,9.5.)

11 Claims. '1

This invention relates to refrigerated display "cases of the self-service type.

In the past, self-service refrigerated display cases or cabinets have usually been arranged in retail stores with their backs against a wall of "the building in which the store is located.

Replenishing or reloading stock into a cabinet in such an arrangement of a display case obstructs the customer's view of thevcontents of the case, at thefront thereof, and the crates, boXes:and/or baskets containing a supply of food products to be reloaded into the case during a reloading operation are ordinarily placed in the path of customers passing by a case and thereby interfere with the customers serving "themselves from and/or'iboxes containing the food-products to be loaded into the display cases. Thebackportion of the open top of self-service display cases and particularly those maintained at ea temperature below freezing is ordinarily covered 'with :a stationary hood for the purpose .of protecting the "interior thereof against drafts in theroomsoas to insureproper circulation of :coldairinthescase. This hood renders it diificult if not-impossible, to reload a case from its back side and thus :the attendant is required to walk around the case into the path of customers at the :front thereof,

in the customers aisle, to place additional stock in the case. Such is not -:at all impressive =or pleasing to customers, and the 3131121381 :arrangement of display cases hasznot been entirely satisfactory. It therefore becomes highly desirable and important to provide for the restocking or reloading of substantiaily open top display cases from the rear side-thereof so thatmovements of the attendant will not interfere with or inconvenience customers serving themselves at the front of a case.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved substantially open top type refrigerated self-service display case.

Another object of "my invention is 'to render a hood employed to cover a rear portion of the open top of a display case movable so as to increase the utility of the case and facilitate the reloading thereof with food products.

further object of my invention is to provide a "substantially open top refrigerated display :case

with wflat end walls, the tops of which terminate in substantially the same horizontal plane, to .movably support a {hood thereon for covering a portion of the open :top of the case and which hood is movable toward the front walliof the case so .as to 'permit loading of the case from the rear side thereof.

A still further object of my invention isto provide a hood structure on a refrigerated display case tonorma'lly ,coverthe back portionlof assub- 'stantially open top of a compartment inthepase and which hood structure is movable t e :posi- 'tion intermediate front and rear wallsof thecase to open 1the;normally acovered back portion of the compartment to permit reloadingof the-compart ment from its rear :side :and to proportion the hood structure relative to the distance between front and rear -walls of the case so that when the hood structure isso moved the front portion of the open top compartment is left open ,to also provide access to the interior thereof from the front side of a the case.

In carrying out the foregoing objects, it is a :more specificobiect of my invention to provide a hood-over apportion of the-open top of a refrigerated display case, which hood is reliable alongflat-end wallswof the caseand carries roller means engageable with ,a side of the end walls .;of the case to-guide the hood during movement thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference :being had to the accompanying d awings wherein a preferred form of the "invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a -,substantially open top self-service display case having :myiinvention embodied therein;

Figure 2 is (an enlargedvertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing a movable hood on thecase in a position 'to cover a rear portion of the open top thereof;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional viewsi-mi- 'lar 'to Figure 2 and shows the hoodon the open top case moved in a direction toward the front wall thereof;

Figure 4 isa top view :of the display case on a smaller scale with the hoodthereon shown in the position thereof disclosed in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is an-enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the time 5r5 of Figure 2 showing roller means 'on the hood engaging a side of the upright'end Walls of the display :case;

Figure 6 :is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2 showing a roller on the hood resting upon and rollable along the fiat topped case end walls; and,

Figure "I is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line l-i of Figure 2 showing a skid depending from the hood and engaging the top of a wall of the case.

My invention is particularly applicable to a substantially open top refrigerated display case of the type fully illustrated and described in detail in the copending application of Marshall W. Baker, Serial No. 193,795, filed November 3, 1950, Patent No. 2,661,604, dated December 8, 1953, and assigned to the assignee of the present application.

Referring to the drawings, for illustrating my invention, I show in Figure 1. thereof a substantially open top self-service display case, generally represented by the reference character It, comprising a cabinet provided with a bottom wall H, a long rear wall 82, a long front wall l4, and end Walls It and I1. These cabinet walls are all formed of or comprise inner and outer sheet metal panels or shells, as is conventional in the art, and have any suitable or desirable insula+- ing material. it disposed therebetween. The upper part of front wall it is formed by a suitable or conventional multiple glass pane structure i9 which extends from one end iii to the other end wall 11 of case Ill to provide a window through which foods or packaged frozen food products on display in the case may be viewed. The tops of all the upright walls or at least the tops of end walls l6 and ll of case It are continuously flat and terminate in substantially the same horizontal plane. The cabinet walls H, 12, It, iii and H form an elongated open top compartment in the display case It. A unitary cover structure or hood, generally represented by the reference character 2U, extends continuously throughout the length of case [6 and projects a short distance from the rear cabinet wall l2 to normally cover the back portion of the open top compartment therein. This hood 20 is supported upon an inverted U-shaped metal cap 2! disposed over the flat top of at least the cabinet end Walls l5 and I1 and is movable therealong in a direction transverse to the length of the display case It or toward the front wall I4 thereof for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The interior of the substantially open top compartment in display case it may be divided into an upper chamber 24 and a lower chamber 25 in any suitable or conventional manner and prefer ably by a sheet metal member 2'! as is disclosed in the M. W. Baker application hereinbefore referred to. A food supporting device or structure, generally represented by the reference character 29, is inset within case Hi and is located. in the upper chamber 24 of the display case coin partment. Food supporting device 29 may be. of any suitable or conventional construction and preferably cooperates with member 2'! to provide air passages, ducts and/or fines for the circulation of air from upper chamber 24 to the lower chamber 25, through the ducts or fines and over foods products stored in or on the device 29 as is shown and described more in detail in said M. W. Baker application. It is to be noted that all portions of the food supporting device 29 are disposed below the tops of upright walls of display case I0. A plurality of blowers or fans 3 l, driven by electric motors 32, are spaced apart along the'length of case it adjacent to an evaporator 33 of a closed refrigerating system associated with the display case if). This evaporator 33 and the blowers or fans 3! are located in the lower chamber 26 of case 10. Air in the case it is cooled, preferably well below 32 52, and the blowers or fans 3! serve as means for circulating air over evaporator 33 where it is cooled and caused to flow through the various passages, ducts, and/or fines onto and over food products stored in or on the device 29.

The cover or hood structure 28 comprises a metal piece 36 stamped and formed to provide the top, side and end walls thereof (see Figures 5 and 6). A metal plate 31 is secured to piece 36 to form the bottom wall of hood 2!]. Any desirable or conventional insulating material 38 may be disposed between the metal piece 36 and plate 31 to suitably insulate the hood 2%. The bottom wall or plate 3: has its undersurface preferably made reflective by coating or painting a reflecting material thereon. This reflective undersurface of hood structure 2t! tends to deflect cold air contacting the same and thereby lessens the transference of cold air through the hood. Buttons or the like skids 39 (see Figure 7) are secured in any suitable manner, such as by C- shaped washers, to the bottom plate 3i of hood 2% at each of the rear corners thereof and en gage the top cap ii on the walls l6 and H of case Hi to aid in supporting the hood thereon. To each of the forward corners of hood 20 I secure, by suitable screws or the like (see Figure 6), a bracket All to plate 3'! which bracket carries a roller ll! mounted on a horizontal shaft 43 riveted or otherwise rigidly attached to bracket 4 I. Rollers 42 and their carrying brackets are inset into hood structure 2% from the lower side thereof so as to depend from the bottom plate 31 substantially the same distance that the skids 39 depend therefrom. The skids 39 and rollers 42 support hood 2!! in slightly spaced relation from the top cap 2! of walls 52, IE, and l! of case ill to eliminate friction between these walls when the hood is moved relative thereto for a purpose to be presently described. In order to guide the hood 2i! during movement thereof along the cap 2! on its supporting walls i6 and H of case Hi, I mount a pair of spaced apart brackets 46, by suitable screws or the like, to the underside of plate 3'! at both ends of the hood and securea roller 41 to each of the pair of brackets 45 by a vertical stud or shaft 13 riveted or otherwise rigidly attached to the brackets 46 (see Figure 5). I also provide means on hood 29 to prevent movement of its back edge rearwardly beyond the rear wall l2 of cabinet or case M. This means in the present disclosure comprises a pair of spaced apart substantially L-shaped bracket members 49 (see Bligures 5 and 6) secured to the bottom plate 3'! ofhood 25) by suitable screws or the like. The depending portion of the ll shaped brackets 49 extends below the top of rear wall I2 of the case Iiiand form stops engageable with the inner side of wall i2 when the hood is moved to its normal back position. It is to be noted that the two rollers #32 are rollable along the metal caps 2| on the fiat top walls IE and H of case In and that the four rollers 41 form roller means engageable with the inner surface of these walls to provide guides for the hood llli. It is well known that objects constructed of poly-- amide material or polymeric amides having a protein-like chemical structure may be moved along or rolled upon metal surfaces with much less friction than moving metal members upon or against one another and therefore I prefer to 5. A self-service refrigerated display case comprising in combination, a bottom wall, a rear wall, a front wall and end walls forming an elongated open top compartment in said case, the top of said end walls being flat and terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane, a food supporting device inset within said case and having all portions thereof disposed below the top of upright walls of said compartment, means for cooling air in said case, means for circulating the cooled air over food products on said device, a rigid hood projecting from said rear wall and extending continuously throughout the length of said elongated compartment to normally cover the back portion of said open top thereof between said front and rear walls, said rigid hood being movable along said fiat end walls'in a direction toward said front wall to open the normally covered portion of said compartment open top, said hood having rollers engaging and being rollable upon said flat top of said end walls, and said hood also having roller means depending therefrom and engaging a side of said end walls to guide the same during movement thereof.

6. A self-service refrigerated display case comprising in combination, a bottom wall, a rear wall, a front wall and end walls forming an elongated open top compartment in said case, the top of said end walls and the top of at least said rear wall being flat and terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane, a food supporting device inset within said case and having all portions thereof disposed below the top of upright walls of said compartment, means for cooling air in said case, means for circulating the cooled air over food products on said device, a rigid hood on said case extending continuously throughout the length of said elongated compartment, said rigid hood overlying said rear wall and projecting therefrom to normally cover the back portion of said compartment open top between said front and rear walls, and said hood being supported by and movable along said flat end walls in a direction toward said front wall to open the normally covered portion of said compartment open top.

7. A self-service refrigerated display case comprising in combination, a bottom wall, a rear wall, a front wall and end walls forming an elongated open top compartment in said case, the top of said end walls and the top of at least said rear wall being flat and terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane, a food supporting device inset within said case and having all portions thereof disposed below the top of upright walls of said compartment, means for cooling air in said case, means for circulating the cooled air over food products on said device, a rigid hood on said case extending continuously throughout the length of said elongated compartment, said rigid hood overlying said rear wall and projecting therefrom to normally cover the back portion of said compartment open top between said front and rear walls, said hood being supported by and movable along said flat end walls in a direction toward said front wall to open the normally covered portion of said compartment open top, and means on said hood engaging a part of the end walls of said case to guide the same during movement thereof.

8. A self-service refrigerated display case comprising in combination, a bottom wall, a rear wars front wall and ends walls forming an elongated open top compartment in said case, the top of said end walls and the top of at least said rear wall being fiat and terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane, a food supporting device inset within said case and having all portions thereof disposed below the top of upright walls of said compartment, means for cooling air in said case, means for circulating the cooled air over food products on said device, a rigid hood on said case extending continuously throughout the length of said elongated compartment, said rigid hood overlying said rear wall and projecting therefrom to normally cover the back portion of said compartment open'top between said front and rear walls, said hood being movable along said flat end walls in a direction toward said front wall to open the normally covered portion of said compartment open top, said hood having rollers engaging and being rollable upon said flat top of said end walls, and said hood also having roller means depending therefrom and engaging a side of said end walls to guide the same during movement thereof.

9. A self-service refrigerated display case comprising in combination, a bottom wall, a .rear Wall, a front wall and end walls forming an. elon gated open top compartment in said case, the top of said end walls and the top of at least said rear wall being fiat and terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane, a food supporting device inset within said case and having all portions thereof disposed below the top of upright walls of said compartment, means for cooling air in said case, means for circulating the cooled air over food products on said device, a rigid hood on said case extending continuously throughout the length of said elongated compartment, said rigid hood overlying said rear wall and projecting therefrom to normally cover the back portion of said compartment open top between said front and rear walls, said hood being movable along said flat end walls in a direction toward said front wall to open the normally covered portion of said compartment open top, said hood having rollers engaging and being rollable upon said flat top of said end walls, said hood also having roller means depending therefrom and engaging aside of said end walls to guide the same during movement thereof, and stop means on said hood preventing movement thereof rearwardly of said case beyond said rear wall.

10. A self-service refrigerated display case comprising in combination, a bottom wall, a rear wall, a front wall and end walls forming an elongated open top compartment in said case,'a food supporting device inset within said compartment, means for cooling air in said case, means for circulating the cooled air over food products on said device, an insulated unitary hood structure on said case extending continuously throughout the lengththereof with its ends engaging and supported by said end walls, said hood structure proiect'ing from said rear wall to normally cover the back portion of the open top of said elongated compartment, said hood structure being movable along said end walls in a direction transverse to the length of said case to a point intermediate said front and rear walls to open the normally covered portion of the open top of said compartment to provide access to said food supporting device over said rear wall from in back of said case, and the width of said hood structure relativeto the distance between said front and said rear walls being such that when said hood structure is so moved the front portion of the opentop of'said compartment remains open for access to said device over said front wall from in front of said case.

11. A self-service refrigerated display case comprising in combination, a bottom wall, a long upright side wall, another long upright side wall and relatively short end walls providing an elongated open top compartment in said case, a food supporting device inset within said compartment, means for cooling air in said case, means for circulating the cooled air over food products on said device, a rigid hood structure on said case extending continuously throughout the length thereof with its ends engaging and supported by said end walls, said hood structure projecting from one of said long side walls over and normal- 1y forming a cover for that portion of the open top 10 of said elongated compartment adjacent said one long side wall, and said hood structure being movable along said end walls in a direction away from said one long side wall toward the other of said long side Walls to open the normally covered portion of said compartment open top and permit access to said food supporting device over said one long side wall.

JOSEPH R. PICHLER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,175,839 Hopkins Oct. 10, 1939 2,574,242 Brill Nov. 6, 1951 

